Nikhil Venkatesh
@nikvenkatesh.bsky.social
Mainly philosophy and cricket
"And the young people ask, 'what are they marching for?' / And I ask myself the same question."
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
YouTube video by The Pogues - Topic
youtu.be
November 11, 2025 at 9:00 AM
"And the young people ask, 'what are they marching for?' / And I ask myself the same question."
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
youtu.be/PKURhqmSLmM?...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Piketty talking a huge amount of sense here (gift link!)
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’
The economist on populism, fiscal debt and the long-term trend of economic equality
on.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Piketty talking a huge amount of sense here (gift link!)
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Thomas Piketty: ‘The left has been a victim of its own success’ - on.ft.com/43OSLBH
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx
November 5, 2025 at 2:21 PM
good morning specifically to the FBI agent who introduced Mamdani’s dad to Marx
Was Wilt Chamberlain aware that he was used in Nozick's thought experiment arguing for property rights?
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
November 5, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Was Wilt Chamberlain aware that he was used in Nozick's thought experiment arguing for property rights?
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
He was a Republican so it's possible he moved in the right circles...
I don't want to be mean, and I'm sure the food's lovely, but this seems like a terrible name for a restaurant www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
Sophie's Choice – European Restaurant, Sidcup
www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
November 4, 2025 at 11:27 AM
I don't want to be mean, and I'm sure the food's lovely, but this seems like a terrible name for a restaurant www.sophieschoicerestaurant.co.uk
Would have been more credible both politically and economically to do this twelve months ago (or even not make the pledge in the first place)
Rachel Reeves' answer to @pippacrerar.bsky.social makes it crystal clear that Reeves is headed towards breaking a manifesto pledge on tax and how she will frame it - as a necessary response to "the world as it is" when the alternative would be more cuts or borrowing.
November 4, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Would have been more credible both politically and economically to do this twelve months ago (or even not make the pledge in the first place)
Hilary Mantel, on Robespierre: "He feels something, in his heart, and then he sits down and works out the logic of it, in his head. Then he says that the head part came first; and we believe him."
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
November 3, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Hilary Mantel, on Robespierre: "He feels something, in his heart, and then he sits down and works out the logic of it, in his head. Then he says that the head part came first; and we believe him."
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Pretty good description of the process of doing philosophy
Super interesting on the history of socialism and the occult. jacobin.com/2025/10/soci...
The Forgotten History of Socialism and the Occult
Socialism has a well-earned reputation as a secular, rational movement. But not all socialists throughout history were quite so grounded.
jacobin.com
November 3, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Super interesting on the history of socialism and the occult. jacobin.com/2025/10/soci...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
November 3, 2025 at 10:04 AM
Academics in Assyria in the 7th c BC complain that admin is preventing them from doing research and teaching
Historic day for cricket and for India
November 2, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Historic day for cricket and for India
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Say what you will about Kandinsky, the guy could name a painting. That sure is several circles.
Several Circles by Vasily Kandinsky, 1926
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137491
https://botfrens.com/collections/212/contents/137491
November 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Say what you will about Kandinsky, the guy could name a painting. That sure is several circles.
What a filmography this is, by the way. RIP Kate Garraway #celebritytraitors
October 30, 2025 at 10:05 PM
What a filmography this is, by the way. RIP Kate Garraway #celebritytraitors
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
JD Vance claims that diversity weakens unions, as people end up distrusting each other and not organizing.
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
October 30, 2025 at 8:07 AM
JD Vance claims that diversity weakens unions, as people end up distrusting each other and not organizing.
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
Let me tell you two menswear stories related to this claim. 🧵
Skill issue. My uncle used to live next door to someone from Uzbekistan, they spoke no common language and spent hours chatting over the garden wall
Vance says it is "totally reasonable and acceptable" for people to not want to live next door to people who speak a different language than they do
October 29, 2025 at 5:07 PM
Skill issue. My uncle used to live next door to someone from Uzbekistan, they spoke no common language and spent hours chatting over the garden wall
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
It is way past time for the UK government & the BBC to get off X & for Musk to be treated as a threat to national security.
The world's richest man is using his site to promote civil war, ethnic violence & the overthrow of an elected government.
You won't win him over with another conference on AI
The world's richest man is using his site to promote civil war, ethnic violence & the overthrow of an elected government.
You won't win him over with another conference on AI
Elon Musk: "It is time for the English to ally with the hard men, like Tommy Robinson, and fight for their survival or they shall surely all die" 29th October 2025. 2 million views in its first hour.
October 29, 2025 at 10:11 AM
It is way past time for the UK government & the BBC to get off X & for Musk to be treated as a threat to national security.
The world's richest man is using his site to promote civil war, ethnic violence & the overthrow of an elected government.
You won't win him over with another conference on AI
The world's richest man is using his site to promote civil war, ethnic violence & the overthrow of an elected government.
You won't win him over with another conference on AI
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
October 27, 2025 at 11:41 AM
Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.
Turns out babies do not automatically update when the clocks change. Who programmed these things?
October 26, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Turns out babies do not automatically update when the clocks change. Who programmed these things?
First sub-25 minute 5k since the baby arrived. Still not lost the weight though...
October 24, 2025 at 12:23 PM
First sub-25 minute 5k since the baby arrived. Still not lost the weight though...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
British Culture: Anti-Nazi Demo, West Bromwich, 1979.
Photo © Virginia Turbett
via @britcultarchive.bsky.social
britishculturearchive.co.uk/archive-gall...
Photo © Virginia Turbett
via @britcultarchive.bsky.social
britishculturearchive.co.uk/archive-gall...
October 22, 2025 at 8:45 AM
British Culture: Anti-Nazi Demo, West Bromwich, 1979.
Photo © Virginia Turbett
via @britcultarchive.bsky.social
britishculturearchive.co.uk/archive-gall...
Photo © Virginia Turbett
via @britcultarchive.bsky.social
britishculturearchive.co.uk/archive-gall...
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
The Marx-Proudhon dispute, colourized:
October 21, 2025 at 7:28 PM
The Marx-Proudhon dispute, colourized:
Reposted by Nikhil Venkatesh
a hot take about academia: it is both too activist and not activist enough. the endless focus on problematizing critiquing, etc etc often degenerates into navel gazing, while there is often a lack of high-quality outcome oriented empirical work on "what could make social institution XYZ work better"
October 20, 2025 at 5:32 PM
a hot take about academia: it is both too activist and not activist enough. the endless focus on problematizing critiquing, etc etc often degenerates into navel gazing, while there is often a lack of high-quality outcome oriented empirical work on "what could make social institution XYZ work better"
An interesting connection between cognitive style and populist politics. I'm left wondering though: who are these elites who are in consensus about carrying out policy on the basis of expert opinion? If only we were ruled by them, and not the elites we have! josephheath.substack.com/p/populism-f...
Populism fast and slow
It is natural that a person who is both concerned by the rise of right-wing populism and possessed of a bookish disposition might turn to the academic political science literature in search of a bette...
josephheath.substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:43 PM
An interesting connection between cognitive style and populist politics. I'm left wondering though: who are these elites who are in consensus about carrying out policy on the basis of expert opinion? If only we were ruled by them, and not the elites we have! josephheath.substack.com/p/populism-f...
"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness."
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 20, 2025 at 10:20 AM
"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness."
The truth is that the worst 21st century Prime Minister was David Cameron, and those since have been bad, but bad at dealing with his legacy.
The UK has somehow managed 4 prime ministers in a row who have each been the worst prime minister of my lifetime, how are they even finding them with this consistency
October 18, 2025 at 4:04 PM
The truth is that the worst 21st century Prime Minister was David Cameron, and those since have been bad, but bad at dealing with his legacy.